FORT WAYNE, IN (October 31, 2015) – The Fort Wayne Mad Ants, presented by Lutheran Health Network, finalized their 2015 Draft Class at the closing of the 2015 NBA D-League Draft Saturday. Listed below, the Mad Ants draft selections by round:
After trading their first round draft pick, the Mad Ants selected Walter Lemon Jr. with the 19th pick in the second round of the 2015 NBA Development League Draft. A 6’3” guard out of Bradley, Lemon ranks 7th in Bradley school history with his 1721 career points. As a two time member of the All-Defensive Team in 2013 and 2014 and a three time Missouri Valley Conference First-Team Scholar Athlete, Lemon joins the Mad Ants after averaging 18.0 points per game in his final season. Lemon stands as the school’s first ever Scholar-Athlete of the Year back in 2014.
With their third round pick, the Mad Ants selected Anthony Walker out of the University of Texas-Arlington. The 6’9” forward comes to Fort Wayne after winning a NJCAA Championship with South Plains College. He finished second on the 36-0 South Plains squad in blocks (29) and field goal percentage (59.1). In Walker’s final season with UT-Arlington, he averaged 4.4 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.
Matt Ross, Chicago State University, checked in as the Mad Ants fourth round pick of the 2015 D-League Draft. Ross, a 6-8 forward, began his collegiate career at Sauk Valley Community College, where he landed on the Second Team All-NJCAA. In his time at Chicago State, Ross was a two time Scholar Athlete in 2013-2014 and a member of the 2014 All-WAC Academic squad, ending his college career averaging 11.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
In his return to Fort Wayne, the Mad Ants selected Anthony Harris as their fifth round pick. Harris, the guard out of the University of Miami (FL), joined the Mad Ants in 2012 after a short stint with the Bakersfield Jam. In his 35 games during the 2012 season, Harris averaged 8.97 points per game and eventually returned to join the Mad Ants for the 2013-14 championship season. Harris played in last summer’s TBT (The Basketball Tournament), helping the Ants Alumni team advance to the Final Four in New York City. In his final season with Miami, Harris averaged 10.22 points per game.
With their final selection in the 2015 NBA D-League Draft, the Mad Ants picked up James Carlton out of Howard University. The 6-8, 220 guard finished his final season with the Bison averaging 15.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, earning him a spot on the 2015 All-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference First Team.
UPDATE
The Fort Wayne Mad Ants, presented by Lutheran Health Network, made moves at the conclusion of the 2015 NBA D-League Draft. In a trade with the Oklahoma City Blue, the Mad Ants received the 32nd overall pick in the 2015 D-League Draft, Stephan Hicks, out of Cal St. Northridge. In turn, the Mad Ants surrender their original 2016 second round draft pick to Oklahoma City and their 2015 sixth round draft pick James Carlton out of Howard University. In a move with the Delaware 87ers, the Mad Ants trade Gary Talton for Gideon Gamble (returning player for the 87ers) and Delaware’s original 2016 second round draft pick.
Hicks, a 6’6” guard out of Cal. St. Northridge, finished his final year with the Matadors averaging 16.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Gamble, a returning 6’7” guard out of Delaware ended the 2015 season averaging 7.8 points per game.
Listed below is the final 2015 draft class for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants: